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Biomedical subjects

T D Foster

Publications and source records attributed to T D Foster.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

The oral health in different groups of adults with mental handicaps attending Birmingham (UK) adult training centres.

The policies of normalisation and integration into the community of people with mental handicap have significant implications for dental care. Before dental services can be planned, the extent of the problem needs to be identified. A total of 382 people with mental handicap living in the community and attending day centres was examined; 52 of these people were edentulous. The mean age of the dentate adults was 30.9 years and the mean DMFT was 9.59. This was low in comparison with data available from national studies but when component parts of the DMF were evaluated it was apparent that far less restorative care had been received by the adults with mental handicap. There were also significant differences in the mean DMFT between mentally handicapped people who had additional handicaps; the mean DMFT for people with Down's syndrome was 10.95, whilst those mentally handicapped people who also had epilepsy had a mean DMFT of 11.19. The oral hygiene and periodontal condition was also poor and there were significant differences between the sub-groups. However, despite people with Down's syndrome having lower levels of plaque, they showed evidence of greater periodontal destruction. When resources are allocated, consideration should be given to raising the oral health of adults with mental handicap up to at least the same level as that of the rest of the population.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Correlation of manual dexterity and comprehension with oral hygiene and periodontal status in mentally handicapped adults.

Although there is relatively little information concerning the oral health of handicapped adults there is increasing evidence to suggest that their oral condition, particularly periodontal health, is poor. The present investigation involved assessment of 382 handicapped patients attending four different Adult Training Centres in Birmingham. The caries status, oral hygiene, and periodontal conditions were evaluated and the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Need (CPITN) was calculated. In order to assess the manual dexterity and the comprehension of the trainees a standard test was devised. This consisted of timing each participant in carrying out simple instructions to pick up and position certain common objects. The results indicated high levels of plaque, calculus, and bleeding with a mean CPITN of 7.43. The mean time taken for the manual dexterity and comprehension test was 23.9 seconds with a range from 10 to 80 seconds, S.E.+/- 1.33. This compares with results from 34 "normal" adults of a mean time of 8.2 seconds +/- 1.8 with a range of 6 to 12 seconds. There was no significant correlation between the Manual Dexterity and Comprehension scores and the periodontal indices in the handicapped adults.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Size and development of the dentition in endocrine deficiency.

Two case reports are presented of boys, who were found to have pituitary and thyroid dysfunction respectively. This was treated in childhood with replacement therapy. These deficiences are known to affect normal skeletal and dental development, but the cases described also showed marked effects on the dental tissues themselves with severe microdontia and abnormalities of crown and root form.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Dental study of handicapped children attending special schools in Birmingham, UK.

The prevalence of dental caries, the levels of oral hygiene and the periodontal treatment requirements were assessed in 3562 handicapped children and 1344 randomly selected normal children attending schools in Birmingham, UK. The effect of different types of handicapping condition on these parameters was also evaluated. This investigation showed that there were few differences in caries prevalence when comparing handicapped children with children attending normal schools. However, the provision of dental care showed significant differences, with the handicapped children receiving less restorative treatment. There were also significantly poorer levels of oral hygiene and a greater prevalence of periodontal disease in the handicapped children attending special schools. The type of handicapping condition had a significant effect on the periodontal problems observed; those children with mental retardation having the poorest levels of oral hygiene and the greatest periodontal treatment requirements.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Occlusal changes from primary to permanent dentitions.

A longitudinal study was undertaken to assess the persistence of occlusal features of the primary dentition at five years into the permanent dentition at 12 years. It was found that although there was a broad measure of predictability there was variation in detail which made forecasting unreliable in the individual patient. Generally speaking, incisal overjet and overbite changed very little between the two dentitions, but those changes which occurred were in both directions, and the direction of change could not be predicted. The sagittal relationships of the dental arch were also relatively stable, but where change occurred it tended to be in a Class II direction, with the mandibular arch becoming more retroposed in relation to the maxillary arch. The prediction of crowding of the permanent dentition from a simple count of spaces in the primary dentition, while generally reliable, was not accurate in every individual patient.

Child↗
PubMed1979

The public health interest in assessment for orthodontic treatment.

In dental public health care programs the occlusion of the teeth is of interest from several different viewpoints: clinical treatment, screening for treatment need and priority, resource planning, and funding. Aspects of occlusion which are of interest are occlusal features, the need for treatment, the difficulty of treatment and the social factors affecting the practicability of treatment. Most of the interested parties are particularly concerned with the need for treatment--an area where objective assessment is not possible. Several methods of assessment of treatment need have been devised. Many of these are reasonably objective methods of assessing occlusal features, but involve the subjective concept that occlusal variation needs correction. In the absence of an objective measurement of treatment need, screening programs could be carried out by personnel who have training in the use of indices but not in clinical orthodontics. Resource planning, however, needs a knowledge of clinical orthodontics to determine types and relative difficulties of treatment required. For public health purposes there is a need for an assessment which would include the etiological factors of malocclusion which govern the difficulty of treatment, and the social factors governing the practicability of treatment.

Health Planning↗
PubMed1977

A longitudinal study of dental arch growth.

Changes in dental arch size and form were assessed by means of univariate and multivariate analysis in a longitudinal study of children between 2 and 10 years of age. The multivariate analysis served to assess the arches as a biologic whole rather than as a series of independent dimensions. Dental arches do not seem to undergo a steady rate of change up to the age of 10 years. In the arches anterior to the first permanent molars, peaks of growth occur between 2 and 3 years and 7 and 8 years in the maxilla, and between 2 and 3 years and 5 and 6 years in the mandible. In the arches, including the first permanent molars, peaks of growth occur between 6 and 8 years in the maxilla and between 9 and 10 years in the mandible.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1977

Growth defects in unrepaired unilateral cleft lip and palate.

The positional relationships of the dentoalveolar segments in ten subjects with unrepaired unilateral complete clefts of lip and palate were studied in order to assess the effects of the cleft malformation on dentoalveolar growth. The findings suggest that there are localized growth defects, particularly in lateral and vertical growth at the region of the alveolar cleft, which cannot be accounted for by operative trauma. The position and shape of the central incisor nearest the cleft was also found to be defective in some subjects.

Adolescent↗